Keep your horse happy and healthy throughout the entire year. Veteran trainer Cherry Hill provides a comprehensive month-by-month guide to horse care that includes seasonal stable chores and maintenance procedures that promote equine health. Reminding you to check for ticks in April, buy hay in July, and set up winter bedding in October, each month's reference charts, to-do lists, and climate notes will help you establish routines that follow the natural cycles of the animals and the land.

Preface We Horsekeepers Long Tail Ranch Using This BookLate Winter January Tracking your weather Latitude map Setting up records Monitoring vital signs Daily visual exam Good manners for farrier visits Cold weather feed rule Calculating your horse's weight and height Mountain lions Bobcats and lynx Internal parasites Deworming dos and don'ts Windbreaks Sanitation Saddle check Leather tack care Income tax overview Know your knots Rhino #2 for your mare Foaling kit Barn cleaning Maintaining your tractor Beet pulp mash Deworming Bots Winter weather patterns February First-aid kit Finding and choosing a farrier Hay is for horses Hay amount Natural feeding Predators Pasture check Electric fences Spread compost Late winter grooming routine Shedding Bridle check Turnout halter Liability and property insurance Power outages Wood chewing Manure-handling equipment Pill prep Health food for horsesSpring March Floods Time change Immunizations Mud season Thrush Beet pulp Chore sandwich Birds Time to let your land rest Manure management Grooming tools for early spring Halters and lead ropes Trailer (shipping) boots Budget Cost of raising a foal Breeding contract Stallion selection Life in the pen Choosing the right mower Natural horsekeeping Flooding in the South April Lightning precautions Time change in Canada Ten skin ailments to avoid Hoof cracks Grains Eagles Turkey vultures Ticks Miller moths Tent caterpillars Spring pasture tune-up Handling manure Helmets Back in the saddle Rain sheets Buying a horse Ground training review Predicting foaling Hazardous wastes Spring cleanup Spring vehicle maintenance Pill paste Horse colors Conformation Midwest tornado season May Hail To shoe or not to shoe Summer caretaker Giving horses treats Snakes Spring pasture Composting How to bathe a horse Clipping Tail care Saddle pad care Blanket storage Lessons Leasing Hay inventory Trailer loading Foaling Round pen size Fire strips Servicing equipment Rotary harrow Correct weight Mold and mildew A continent of pasturesSummer June Hurricanes Solstice West Nile virus Laminitis Sand colic Psyllium Grazing Gophers, et al. Mosquitoes Poisonous plants Mowing Fencing Multiple manure piles Grooming on the go Daily visual checklist Knots Fly sheets Saddling review Start conditioning your horse Estrous cycle, breeding, and PMS Arena design Summer loafing sheds Panels Vices and bad habits July Monsoon time Lyme disease Hoof dressing and sealer Foal hoof care Files Rotational grazing Fugitive dust Turnout sheets Liability laws Safety Foal feeding Hay storage Hay elevator Equine body wash Choosing good hay Extreme heat in the Southwest August Dental clinic Lost shoes Wild horses Ten steps to a clean stall Blister beetles Gelding yearlings Sheath cleaning Getting organized Fly gear Antisweat sheet Registration and transfer of ownership Brand awareness Road-proofing Manure spreaders Fire prevention Drought Disaster preparedness Evacuation planningFall September Bot eggs Dealing with the death of a horse Hoof pads Hoof packing Weight gain for winter Hay tricks Black bears Hunting season safety Pasture priorities Fall shedding Ergots and chestnuts Quarter sheets All about coolers Selling a horse Weaning Feeders Horse blanket types Getting ready for winter Hantavirus October Pigeon fever Winter shoes Senior diet Water Decrease grain for all horses Deer Fleas Winter pastures Bedding Tails up for winter Indoor horse clothing Horse ID Autumn arena exercises When to geld Pasture harrows Blanketing The cold zonesEarly Winter November Standard time Preparing for high winds Winter water Colic Barefoot in the winter Rib check Bran mash Magpies Stall fresheners Fire ants Dry shampoo Winter riding clothing Horse insurance Pre-ride winter warm-up Anestrous behavior Broodmares' rhino #1 Keeping a horse in a stall Wish lists Horsekeeping in the suburbs Winter winds December Winter solstice Vet facilities Stall flooring Healthy hooves Snow rule for turnout Africanized honeybees Our Christmas eagle Body clipping basics Boarding Approaching Catching tactics Spaying a mare Farrier work area Front-end loaders Your horse's holiday wish list The good life Making a horse's work easier Appendix Resources Recommended reading Index